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Monday, October 28, 2013

After ten years, I've finally decided to read everything in the Probate packet I received so long ago. The probate is quite long, and might be of interest to those who are familiar with my well-known 2nd great-grandfather, William Frederick Poole. Even though the below document states he signed his will, I didn't receive a copy with the 45 other pages.

State of Illinois, )

) ss.

County of Cook)

In
the ProbateCourtofCookCounty.

In the
Matter of

the
Estate of

William F. Poole,

deceased.

Testimony
taken on the 15th day of March, A. D. 1894 as to proof of will and
heirship in the above-entitled estate.

William Eliot Furness,

being
duly sworn, was examined by Mr. Kinnare and testified as follows:

Q Give your full name, Mr. Furness? A William Eliot Furness.

Q Where do you reside? A Chicago.

Q Give the street and number, please? A 417 Orchard Street, Chicago.

Q How old are you? A
Fifty-four.

Q Occupation?
A Attorney at law.

Q Look at the instrument now shown you
purporting to be the last will and testament of William F. Poole, and say
whether or not your name and signature is written on it? A Yes
sir.

Q Who asked you to sign your name to this
instrument? A William F. Poole.

Q For what purpose did you sign your name? A As a
witness to his will.

Q Did you see William F. Poole sign his name to
this instrument? A Yes sir.

Q Did William F. Poole see you sign your name
to it? A
Yes sir.

Q Who were present when William F. Poole signed
his name? A Daniel L. Shorey, John J. Herrick and William
F. Poole, when I signed, and when he signed it, Daniel L. Shorey, John J.
Herrick, William Eliot Furness and William F. Poole.

Q What date was it that William F. Poole and
the witnesses signed their names to this instrument? A On
the 18th day of January, 1888.

Q How old was William F. Poole at that time? A I
should think he was about sixty.

Q What condition of the mind and memory of
William F. Poole when he signed his name to this instrument? A Good
and sound.

Q Do you believe that when William F. Poole
signed his name to this instrument that he was of sound and disposing mind and
memory? A I do.

Q Did William F. Poole marry after he signed
his name to this instrument? A No sir.

Mrs. Fanny N. Poole,

being
duly sworn, was examined by Mr. Kinnare, and testified as follows:

Q What is your name? A
Fanny M. Poole.

Q Where do you reside? A Evanston.

Q Evanston,
Cook County, Illinois?
A Yes sir.

Q How old are you? A
Sixty.

Q Are you the widow of William F. Poole
deceased? A I am.

Q How old
was William F. Poole when he died?
A Seventy-two.

Q How old was he when you first became acquainted
with him? A Thirty-one.

Q Did you know him from that time up to the
time of his death? A Yes sir.

Q How many times was William F. Poole
married? A Once.

Q And then to yourself? A Yes sir.

Q Did you live with him as his wife up to the
time of his death? A Yes sir.

Q How many children were ever born to William
F. Poole and yourself? A Seven.

Q Give
their names, commencing with the first one?
Abstract for their four children is below:

Alice P.
Holbrook, still living, and husband’s full name is Zephaniah S. Alice is 38 and her husband is still living.

Annie is
still living and husband’s full name is Charles Clarence Poole. Annie is 36 and
her husband is still living.

Mary, is
still living, is not married and is 33.

William
Fred is still living and is 26.

Q Give the names of the children now dead? A Fannie,
Helen and Eliza.

Q And did
Fannie, Helen and Eliza all die before the death of William F. Poole, their father? A Yes sir.

Q Which lived to be the oldest? A Eliza.

Q How old did she live to be? A Five
years.

Q So that when William F. Poole died he left
him surviving Fannie M. Poole, yourself, his wife, Alice P. Holbrook, wife of
Zephaniah S. Holbrook, his daughter, Annie Poole, wife of Charles Clarence
Poole, his daughter, Mary Poole, his daughter and William Fred Poole, his son,
his only hairs at law and next of Kin? A
Yes sir.

Q. Do you
acknowledge that to your name and signature (indicating)? A I
do.

State of Illinois, )

) ss.

County of Cook)

Murray J. Brady, being duly sworn,
says that he is a shorthand reporter, that he took the testimony in the matter
of the proof of will and heirship of William F. Poole, deceased, of William
Eliot Furness and Mrs. Fannie N. [sic] Poole, in the Probate Court of Cook
County on the 15th day of March, 1894, and that the foregoing is the
correct report of such testimony.

Murray J. Brady

Subscribed
and sworn to before me

This 20th
day of March, A. D. 1894.

J. B. Bennett

Notary Public, CookCounty.___________Additional information: I located a separate document, deposition given by Daniel Louis Shorey of 5520 Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. He was 70 year old lawyer. He testified that he saw William F. Poole sign his will.

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I've been a retired, quiet, genealogy fanatic for 23 years. It's a hobby I do for fun and to help others.
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